Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Courts of the Morning

  John Buchan

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  Sandy Arbuthnot's friend John Blenkiron discovers that a charismatic industrial tycoon is plotting to rule the world from his base in the small South American country of Olifa. Sandy decides to lead a revolution to scuttle the plot and allow the Olifans to decide their own fate.

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  Notre Dame de Paris

  Victor Hugo

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  Originally published in 1831, "Notre-Dame de Paris" is one of Victor Hugo's most renowned novels. The story unfolds in 15th-century Paris and revolves around the majestic Cathedral of Notre-Dame. The narrative interweaves the lives of its characters, including the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, the vain archdeacon Claude Frollo, and the dashing Captain Phoebus. Through its intricate plot, the novel delves into themes of love, passion, sacrifice, and societal judgment. Simultaneously, Hugo offers readers a rich depiction of medieval Paris, highlighting both its architectural wonders and the societal contrasts of the age.

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  Romeo and Juliet - Audiobook

  William Shakespeare, Classic...

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  Romeo and Juliet is an iconic tragedy written by William Shakespeare, telling the story of forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet, two young members of the rival Montague and Capulet families in Verona. From the moment they meet, they fall deeply in love, unaware of the longstanding hatred that divides their families. Their sincere love drives them to defy social expectations and dream of a life together.However, a cruel twist of fate and a series of misunderstandings lead to a tragic end, highlighting the destructive consequences of family conflicts and intolerance. Secondary characters, such as Mercutio and Juliet's Nurse, add depth to the plot, bringing moments of lightness and tension that enrich the story.Through this poignant narrative, Shakespeare explores timeless themes of forbidden love, sacrifice, and fate, which continue to resonate with audiences today. Romeo and Juliet remains a powerful and enduring work, reminding us of love's strength in the face of prejudice and the human cost of hatred.

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  God Sees the Truth But Waits -...

  Leo Tolstoy

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  Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 in the Russian province of Tula to a wealthy noble family. As a child, he had private tutors but he showed little interest in any formal education. When he went to the University of Kazan in 1843 to study oriental languages and law, he left without completing his courses.  Life now was relaxed and idle but with some writing also taking place.  Gambling debts forced an abrupt change of path and he joined the army to fight in the Crimean War.  He was commended for his bravery and promoted but was appalled at the brutality and loss of life.  He recorded these and other earlier experiences in his diaries which formed the basis of several of his works. 
  In 1852 ‘Childhood’ was published to immediate success and was followed by ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Youth’. 
  His experience in the army and the horrors he witnessed resulted in ‘The Cossacks’ in 1862 and the trilogy ‘Sevastopol Tales’. After the war he travelled around Europe, visiting London and Paris and meeting such luminaries as Victor Hugo and Charles Darwin.  
  It was now that Tolstoy began his masterpiece, ‘War and Peace’. Published in 1869 it was an epic work that changed literature. He quickly followed this with ‘Anna Karenina’.  
  These successes made Tolstoy rich and helped him accomplish many of his dreams but also brought problems as he grappled with his faith and the lot of the oppressed poor. These revolutionary views became so popular that the authorities now kept him under surveillance.  
  He led a life of asceticism and vegetarianism and put his socialist ideals into practice by establishing numerous schools for the poor and food programmes. He also believed in giving away his wealth, which caused much discord with his wife.  
  His writing continued to bring forth classics such as ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ and many brilliant and incisive short stories such as ‘How Much Land Does A Man Need’.  
  In 1901 Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Church and controversially deselected for the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
  Whilst undertaking a pilgrimage by train in October 1910 with his daughter Aleksandra he caught pneumonia in the nearby town of Astapovo.  Leo Tolstoy died on November 9th, 1910, he was 82.

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  A Journey of Little Profit -...

  John Buchan

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  The Scottish novelist John Buchan enjoyed a remarkable career as politician, historian and Governor General. He was born John Buchan on 26th August 1875 and later added 1st Baron Tweedsmuir PC GCMG GCVO CH to his name.  
  Buchan studied at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, Glasgow and at seventeen won a scholarship to the University of Glasgow to study classics. There he began to write poetry. In 1895 he transferred to Oxford to continue his study of Classics and in 1896 ‘Sir Quixote of the Moors’ was published followed by the non-fiction ‘Scholar-Gipsies’. His prolific literary output now hardly faltered. 
  He graduated in 1900 and became the private secretary to Alfred Milner, the High Commissioner for Southern Africa and other colonies. Buchan found the same inspiration in the African landscape as he had in the Scottish Borders, and would later set many works here. Returning to London he became a partner in a publishing house, and garnered an editorial role at The Spectator. He also completed his law studies. He was called to the bar in 1901 but never practiced.  
  On 15th July 1907 Buchan married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor, the cousin of the Duke of Westminster. In 1910 he wrote ‘Prester John’, the first of a series set in South Africa.  
  In 1911 Buchan entered politics as a Unionist candidate in the Scottish Borders advocating the support of free trade, women’s suffrage, national insurance, and reducing the power of the House of Lords.  
  The Great War saw Buchan writing for the War Propaganda Bureau and as Times correspondent in France. In 1915, he published ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’, his most famous book and a follow-up Richard Hannay novel, ‘Greenmantle’, in 1916.  
  In 1916 Buchan enlisted in the Intelligence Corps which included writing speeches for Sir Douglas Haig. By 1917 he was Director of Information under Lord Beaverbrook. Buchan called it “the toughest job he ever took on”. He somehow found time to assist in a history of the war magazine. This was later published in 24 volumes: Nelson’s History of the War. 
  After the war his writing focused on historical studies. In 1927 Buchan became the Unionist Party Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities. In a speech to Parliament he said “I believe every Scotsman should be a Scottish nationalist. If it could be proved that a Scottish parliament were desirable… Scotsmen should support it.”  
  Over the next decade he continued to distinguish himself politically and in literature.  On the 1st June 1935 he became 1st Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield in the County of Oxford.  
  He was now also given the position of Governor General in Canada and resolved to travel all over Canada to gain a better insight of the country. Having crossed both length and breadth he saw the cultural shift between areas and their common ground and helped bring about a clear national Canadian identity. 
  On the 6th February 1940 he collapsed from a stroke and sustained a very serious head injury in falling. Two rounds of surgery to stabilise his condition were unsuccessful and Buchan died on the 11th February. After a state funeral in Ottawa his ashes were returned to his estate in Oxfordshire.

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  At "Lehmann's"

  Mansfield Katherine

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  In At Lehmann’s by Katherine Mansfield we have the theme of innocence, vulnerability, appearance, confusion and desire. Taken from her In a German Pension collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Mansfield may be exploring the theme of innocence. Sabina believes Hans’ story about why his hands are so dirty even though the story is exceptionally far-fetched and borders on the impossible. What is also interesting about Hans’ story is that because Sabina believes Hans she pities him which may be important as it highlights how good natured Sabina is. She is unable to see any bad in Hans even though he is lying.

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